Meaning & use
carol
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Meanings
nouncountable
A traditional song, especially one sung at Christmas.
Grammar: Countable: a carol, two carols; often used in the plural after 'sing'.
Patterns
- sing a carol
- a Christmas carol
- carols around the tree
The children sang a carol at the school concert.
We walked through the snow singing Christmas carols.
That carol is my grandmother's favorite holiday song.
verbintransitive
To sing songs, especially Christmas songs, in a joyful way.
Grammar: No object: people carol; you do not 'carol a song' in everyday use.
Patterns
- carol through the streets
- go caroling
A group of neighbors came to our door and caroled for us.
Every December the choir carols in the town square.
Word forms
| plural | carols |
|---|---|
| third person singular | carols |
| past tense | caroled |
| past participle | caroled |
| -ing form | caroling |
Common combinations
- Christmas carol
- 'Silent Night' is a well-known Christmas carol.
- sing carols
- We sing carols at the community center every year.
- a carol service
- The church holds a carol service on Christmas Eve.
- go caroling
- The students went caroling to raise money for charity.
- a choir carols
- The choir carols in the square on the last Sunday before the holiday.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hymn
- A hymn is a religious song for worship; a carol is tied to Christmas and is often more cheerful.
- song
- Song is the general word for any piece of music with words; carol is much narrower.
Word family
- caroler noun
- A person who sings carols, especially in a group going from house to house.
- caroling noun
- The activity of singing carols, often outdoors in a group.
Commonly confused: carol or Carol? carol or choral?
carol vs Carol
As a name, Carol is a person's name and is spelled with a capital letter; the common noun 'carol' means a Christmas song.
carol vs choral
Choral means relating to a choir, as in 'choral music'; carol is the song itself.
Practice
Which sentence uses "carol" correctly?
Choose one answer.
A carol is a song, so you sing one, as in option B. Option An is wrong because you do not 'carol' an instrument, and option C confuses carol with 'write'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “carol”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.